Best Money Can Buy
Written: Mar 17 '01
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Pros: Well designed, High quality, No skimping anywhere
Cons: Somewhat noisy, somewhat expensive (but worth it!)
The Bottom Line: If you want the best quality system you can get than this is for you. It's a little more pricey, but worth it by far.
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| MikeD03C's Full Review: Micron Millenia MAX Series |
We bought a new MicronPC brand desktop computer online about a month and a half ago and I can sing nothing but praise. We had an old IBM with a 233MHz Pentium that was aging terribly and we knew we needed a new computer. We were looking in the sub $1400 range and we finally decided on a Micron. Even before we were looking for a computer I have always known Microns to be of very good quality, probably the best in the industry. I might have been underestimating how good Micron’s desktops are.
Here are the specs of the system we bought:
1GHz Athlon (Thunderbird running on the 761 South Bridge for DDR)
128MB of DDR (PC1600) RAM (upgraded to 256 on our own)
40GB Maxtor HD ATA100
16X DVD (we already had a CDRW we were transferring over)
SB Live! Sound Card
32MB TNT RIVA M64 Video Card (we cheaped out there)
We already had a spare 17” monitor and a nice mouse and keyboard (don’t skimp on external peripherals!) that we were transferring over. After we ordered our system on Sunday it said it would be shipped next, next Wednesday. I figured this was normal considering the system was being custom built for me. However, I logged onto the website to discover that the system has been shipped at 1AM on Thursday morning, nearly a week ahead! That made me excited. Early next week I received it (had to put a hold on the package and pick it up manually at the UPS station because an adult signature is required upon handing the computer over).
The computer came in a nice large sized box. The speakers and the (free) printer came in their own separate boxes. Upon opening up the cardboard box I could already tell Micron cared about quality. The box was custom designed for its computers. It had a cardboard tray with a cover on it with separate compartments for the keyboard, mouse, CDs, documentation, everything. Very nice! You pull out the tray with its handles and place it on its side to reveal the computer lying on its side. Again it was very well padded and you got the distinct impression Micron wanted the computer to arrive safe and sound.
Included in the tray was a guide to setting up your computer for neophytes to setting up computers. I am already familiar with the procedure though so I proceeded on my own. I took the computer out and examined the case. It was made a very high quality plastic (trust me, you don’t want metal cases, they are a pain!) The entire case from the front to rear was all very nice quality and I was very impressed again. I installed the mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers, etc. and prepared to boot the computer up.
Upon bootup you get a friendly startup screen with an animated wizard stepping you through everything. (It’s the same wizard that’s the default avatar for Microsoft’s speech engine). This was a nice touch that I appreciated; the resident eight-year-old got a riot out of it. After registering the computer we were taken to the desktop. It came bundled with Windows Me and some other basic software like a DVD player, etc. There wasn’t really any extra software (we didn’t order any extra). This is a very good thing as many computer manufacturers bloat your computer with stuff you don’t want and Micron didn’t. Again I’m impressed!
After enjoying playing around with the computer I decided to install the peripherals I wanted to add on: another 128MB stick of DDR RAM, CDRW drive, video capture board, and phone line networking card. Please note in my description in this review that I posted the original components to keep the price inline with what I had originally ordered. If you were starting out fresh you would want a CDRW drive definitely, and maybe more than 128MB of RAM.
I unplugged everything from the computer and put it on a table in a non-carpeted area (avoiding static electricity is of the highest importance!). Opening the case was extremely easy compared to my old IBM. You push it two notches on the back and the side of the computer comes off. Very Nice! One thing I noticed is that on the outside of the case is a copy of your Windows Millennium CD Key. This is very, very smart thinking on Micron’s part. I know this is sounding repetitive, but I was again very impressed.
The interior design of the case is very well thought out. There is plenty of room and I found no sharp edges. There was also an abundance of fans (no skimping there), which is maybe why this computer is somewhat noisy. First I upgraded the RAM. (Touch the power supply to ground yourself before picking up the DIMM). I opened the two nubbets on the side of the empty bay and then slide in the DIMM perpendicular (if you haven’t installed RAM, specifically not DIMMs you should reference the manual, each type is a little different). All I did was press it in then snap the two nubbets back. Next I wanted to install the two cards. First you remove a support bar (a mark of quality), than all you have to do is pull a latch down, which releases all the cards. This is a big improvement over traditional screws for each card as it saves much time! I popped in my two PCI card easily. There were a total of 6 PCI slots (some were already used by the soundcard and modem), which is a very good number. There were no legacy ISA slots and one AGP universal slot with a card retention clip. There were no CNR slots, which is good because those are normally on cheapo systems used by cost-trimming OEMs. I pulled the lever up and snapped it into place securing all the cards. Lastly I wanted to install my CDRW drive.
To release the very elegant front bezel you push in two tabs on the inside of the case and it releases at the bottom that allows you to pull it off. Here is what really made my day. The case uses rails that make installing drives very much easier. All I did was push out the blank slot spacer. Then inside the spacer itself I pulled out the two rails (wow!), which would attach to the side of my CDRW drive. Then all I did was slide the drive it part way, attach the cables, and then push it back until it clicked. Very nice indeed! I closed up the case, which was very quick and easy by replacing the front bezel, and popping the side back on. I can’t find a single instance where Micron skimped on this computer case! I had no idea you could buy a computer with such a nice chassis.
I booted up and all my hardware was recognized and soon I was networked with my other system, burning CDs, and capturing video. Ever sense then I have had absolutely no problems. We bought the three-year extended on-site warranty but I doubt we’ll need it. I can say nothing but superb praise about this computer. I’m flabbergasted at the quality of it and I will definitely buy Micron again when it’s not feasible to build the system myself. If you want the best, go with MicronPC!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1350
Operating System: Windows
Processor: AMD Athlon (K7)
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
MikeD03C
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Location: North Central Indiana, USA
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 2 members
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